Well, it doesn't get much better than this! Thanks to the cool folks at Subterranean Press, one lucky winner will get a hold of an ARC of Songs of the Dying Earth, a tribute anthology edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.

Here's the blurb:

Jack Vance was a seminal figure in the development of modern fantasy, so much so that it’s nearly impossible to imagine the genre as we know it today existing without him. In the course of his more than fifty-year career, he has published dozens of major novels, as well as collections filled with marvelously crafted stories, winning the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, the Edgar Award, the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America, and several World Fantasy Awards, including the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. Vance’s masterpiece, The Dying Earth, may be the most influential fantasy novel of the Twentieth Century, surpassed only by J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy; it has not only inspired several generations of fantasy writers, from Gene Wolfe and Michael Moorcock to Neil Gaiman and George R.R. Martin, but its influence has reached deep into the realms of graphic novels, comics, fantasy role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, and even computer gaming.

In Songs of the Dying Earth, we have called on one of the most distinguished casts of authors ever assembled—including Dan Simmons, Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin, Paula Volsky, Mike Resnick, Robert Silverberg, Lucius Shepard, Tad Williams, Tanith Lee, Liz Williams, Glen Cook, and eleven other famous writers—to write stories in honor of the genius of Jack Vance, stories using the bizarre and darkly beautiful far future setting of the Dying Earth, near the very end of Earth’s lifespan, where mighty wizards duel with spells of dreadful potency under a waning and almost burnt-out red sun, and adventurers and cutpurses strive to hoodwink and out-trick each other in haunted forests full of demons and monsters strange almost beyond comprehension.

The numbered and lettered editions of this collector's item are already sold out. Only the trade hardcover edition is still available, so follow this link if you want to know more. All these clowns who have pre-ordered this limited edition have to wait till August to get their hands on it, but our winner will receive the prize months before the pub date! How cool is that!?!

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "SONGS." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.

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commentaires:

Oh man, I want this one bad. I'm just finishing up my Tales of the Dying Earth omnibus, and while the later stories aren't great, it's a still a fantastic world, and I'd like to see what other great authors can do in it. Besides: Glen Cook? Dan Simmons? Yes, please!

Cecrow: I was speaking in terms of value. An ARC is a limited edition since they don't print a whole lot of copies. So now you get the opportunity to win a limited edition of an already sold out limited edition. Collectors are probably salivating right now...

And interestingly enough, I've been reading some of the short stories contained in the anthology and I like them a lot more than I did Vance. Old school Vance fans will probably throw rocks at me, but so far I prefer Dying Earth pieces by authors such as Neil Gaiman, GRRM, and Glen Cook!

Cecrow, while I respect Pat's reviews, you should never judge a book by one opinion. Jack Vance is one of the most highly regarded SF/F authors out there, and in my personal opinion the greatest. The Dying Earth stories aren't for everyone, but everyone should read the Lyonesse trilogy and Demon Prince series.

As much as I enjoyed the first and second Dying Earth novels and very much want to pick this anthology. I've always felt the original inspiration for Vance's work; Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique, is far better. With grim realistic style Fantasy all the rage, Smith was doing it 70+ years ago with such stores like " The Weaver in the Vault" and " The Island of the Tortures" that to this day still hold up. It's a shame he has not gotten the recognition he so deserves.